Connor Lassiter
Connor Lassiter, also known as the "'Akron AWOL" ', is one the main characters in Unwind and UnWholly. Set to be Unwound when he was sixteen, he was able to run away, then eventually avoided this after his assumed death. He ended up being in charge of the Graveyard after the Admiral left. History When Connor was sixteen, three weeks prior to the beginning of Unwind, while looking for a stapler in his dad's home office, he found airplane tickets to the Bahamas where they were going on a family vacation over Thanksgiving. But when he realized there were only three tickets, for his parents and brother, he, at first thinking that it was just misplaced but later taking it back, went looking a little deeper when his parents were out. Then he finds the Unwind order, signed in old-fashioned triplicate—the yellow copy that would accompany Connor to his end, and the pink that would stay with his parents, the white copy already gone off with the authorities. The date on the order was the day before the Bahamas trip. The unfairness of it had made Connor want to break something—but he didn't. He held his temper and kept his emotions hidden. He kept what he knew to himself, kept it even from his parents. He decided that he would 'kill his parents with kindness'. He had been in his best behavior: bringing home flowers for his mother, which she cried over for hours, bringing home a science test with a B-plus, the best grade he had ever gotten in science, which made his father confused and lost in thought. Connor's motivation was simple: Make them suffer. Let them know for the rest of their lives what a horrible mistake they made. Unwind UnWholly Personality He is an Unwind at sixteen due to the fact that he is rebellious and has been in many fights at his school and with his parents. He has a younger brother whom he loves very much. He loves his parents, despite also being angry at them for signing the Unwind orders. During the days before he was an Unwind, his hiding place was a ledge of a freeway overpass, right behind the exit sign. For Connor, it's not about stupidity or rebellion, it's about feeling life. It is where he feels most comfortable. Connor is said to be a fighter, according to the Admiral, when Connor fights for something, it gets heard. He's pretty stuborn at the beginning of the book. Throughout Unwind, Connor changes from being an uncontrolled fighter to a person who contains his rage enough to rationalize and see what's hidden in many dangerous situations, mostly through the help and advice of Risa. By UnWholly, Connor seems to have matured greatly and trusts people more, although that trust makes him a little more gullible. Once the 'man of action' for doing things in spite of the situation, he now thinks of his every move before putting it into action. He learned these from Risa, who has expressed guilt for it, saying she created a monster and that she prefers the old Connor. Connor was never into his generation's trends, like getting tattoos or pigment injections. The only different color on his skin is the tan he gets during the summer. Appearance New Identity After the clappers' explosions in the Happy Jack Harvest Camp, Connor was presumed to be dead. In the hospital, he was given the identity of Officer Elvis Robert Mullard, a guard who worked at the harvest camp who did die in the incident, probably by some people sympathetic to Unwinds and may even be part of the ADR. Because this identity is already nineteen years-old, he is free from Unwinding. Relationships Love Interests Risa Ward When they first met, Risa and Connor's relationship was more on holding onto each other for support as they were both on the run as AWOLs together. Eventually, though, as they spent more and more time together, attraction became inevitable Ariana During their relationship, Ariana is the first and only girl Connor has ever brought to his hiding place, the freeway overpass ledge. Although Ariana's parents do not approve of Connor, always referring to him as "that Lassiter boy" and have long predicted his unwinding, they continue to see each other. Whe she finds out that Connor's parents have signed the Unwind order, Ariana also becomes quite upset and tries to comfort him, Ariana giving Connor the feeling of safety for a while. When she then suggests that they run away and kick-AWOL together, Connor is moved beyond words and feels like the luckiest guy in the world. The mere idea of kicking-AWOL by himself terrifies him, but the thought of being with Ariana gave him hope and confidence. Later though, when Connor comes for her, it is shown that her words may only have been a spur of the moment because she regretfully turns him down, saying that she is still intent on school, that she is about to test out, and that she was to be her sister's maid of honor on her wedding. When Connor realizes that she's bailing on him, he still lets her say her piece even if she doesn't have to because he already knows because he sees how hard it is for her, and he wants it to be the hardest thing she's ever done in her life. When Connor points out that running away is the only way to save his life because he's about to be unwound, Ariana apologetically retorts that she, unlike him, isn't about to be unwound. He tells her that he knows someone as smart as him will get away and has a decent chance of surviving to eighteen and even asks him to call him once he's somewhere safe. Later, at Sonia's store, he considers writing a letter to Ariana but realizes that it's pointless to write to her and stops. Friends Lev Calder Hayden Family Connor generally had a complicated relationship with his family. Being the 'troubled' teen he was, he got into a lot of trouble at school and, when not in the mood, he brings those problems home. He gets into arguments with his parents, which probably resulted in their decision to have him unwound. When Connor finds the Unwind order and his family's tickets to Bahamas, he realizes that his family will be on a vacation while he meets his doom. Instead of giving into his temper, like he usually did, he decided to silently "make them suffer" and let them regret their decision by showing them what they would lose. It works for a while but does not change the decision of his parents. He apparently also has mixed emotions about his brother. He seems to care for him, even wanting to say good-bye before he ran away. When Connor is reunited with Lev, he hugs him like he did his brother when he won a district pentathlon. Later in the book, however, he seems to hold a sort of resentment towards his brother, since he was the child his parents chose to keep over him. He once thought that Emby reminded him of his brother because theyr were both whiners, and he had little patience for them. Category:Males Category:Characters Category:Unwind characters Category:UnWholly characters Category:Main Protagonists